Tough-Driving Classics

from Hemmings Classic Car

When it comes to old cars, there's nothing I would rather do than get behind the wheel of a Classic automobile and drive it.
A few weeks ago, a Classic Car Club of America tour (called a CARavan) was conducted by the CCCA's Upper Midwest Region, which is based in Minnesota. Interestingly, the tour did not take place in Minnesota, but wound through the states of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. This was a hub tour, in which the tour participants stayed at one hotel for the duration of the tour--as opposed to what I would call a "progressive tour," in which the participants travel a specific route and stay at a different hotel nearly every night.
The ladies tend to like hub tours because they don't have to pack and unpack every night. I actually prefer the progressive tours, mainly because it means seeing different countryside every day. On a progressive tour, we also get to regularly use the luggage in the Beals & Selkirk trunk that's mounted on the trunk rack of my Lincoln. I get a bigger kick out of this than my wife does.
Many club members sign up for tours that are held in different parts of the country--that is, in states and places they might not otherwise visit. On this recent tour, there were folks from the East and West Coasts, the Southwest and the Southeast, plus some from Canada. A nice cross-section of people came out, which contributes to the fun of such a tour.
When we signed up for the CARavan, we expected another enjoyable week of countryside driving. (Most CARavans are five to seven days long, although there is a recent trend towards shorter, weekend CARavans, stretching from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. The latter are becoming quite popular, particularly for people with tighter schedules.)
When late July rolled around and it was time for the CARavan to begin, there was a surprise in store: record high temperatures--a real test for our Classic automobiles!
My recollection is that temperatures averaged 95 degrees throughout the tour and got as high as 105 degrees one day. Although this proved uncomfortable for some of the participants, our Classic automobiles, with a few exceptions, performed admirably. It was real credit to the original quality of these automobiles, as well as the amount of preparation done by the participants.
Although most of the participants were veteran CARavanners, there were at least a half-dozen first-time CARavanners. To my knowledge, their cars were as well-prepared as those belonging to the veterans.
Yes, the heat was pretty nasty at times, but while driving the beautiful two-lane roads, it was pretty special to see gorgeous Classic automobiles in front of us and behind us. That's one of the things that makes vintage car tours so much fun. The other contributing factors to a good tour are interesting places to visit and friendly, fun people on the tour.
Of course, one doesn't need a club-sponsored event such as a CARavan to take a car on a tour. You can do that on your own; all it takes is some imagination and planning. We've done a number of two-day tours with our Classics, taking weekend getaways. If you live in an area where you're fortunate enough to be able to access rural countryside, that's the best.
But, just as it was when it was new, your Classic automobile requires proper maintenance and repair. The Cunard Line used a great passage in its advertising back in the 1950s: "Getting There is Half the Fun." And that's certainly true of Classic automobile touring, as well.

This article originally appeared in the November, 2012 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.